updated 12:35 pm EDT, Sat April 21, 2012

User agent points to Galaxy Note update

Samsung may be readying a version of the Galaxy Note for T-Mobile. A discovery of a browser user agent string for a previously unseen SGH-T879 device by TmoNews both has the characteristic Txx9 naming of a Samsung-made T-Mobile device and the 1280x800 resolution of the 5.3-inch Note. While a small chance exists that it's a tablet, the naming scheme, user agent, and listings both at the Bluetooth SIG and the Wi-Fi Alliance (PDF) suggest a smartphone like the Note instead.

An old version of the Bluetooth documentation briefly referred to it as a take on the SGH-i717, the AT&T version of the Galaxy Note.

Any version that would ship in the near future would drop the LTE data support, which T-Mobile lacks, and would more likely have 42Mbps HSPA+ instead. Common roots would give them a dual-core 1.4GHz chip, an eight-megapixel rear camera, a front two-megapixel camera, and the signature S-Pen. Android 2.3 ships on the AT&T model, although the late timing could see a T-Mobile model come with Android 4.0.

The certifications suggest the T879 is relatively close to becoming a reality. It could still be weeks or months away, however, and isn't guaranteed to ship.